Best run flats

[Matt Seabrook]

genrally i find that when you havn't tried the mor expensive tyres (eg the michelins ) you feel they can't be that much better than the cheaper stuff , i have found this myself many times , trouble is once you have tried the better tyre its hard to settle for the cheaper alternative at any time in the future ... unless its not available in the sizze you want .....

Yep it will not matter how good your shocks brakes etc are if your tyres are crap. And as for run flats they can cause a problem or two in the garage. Like has already been said if someone has a puncture and you turn round and tell them they cant be repaired. They give a bl**** harsh ride compared to a normal tyre. Change them for some proper tyres.

[JeffC]

on a tyre subject.. on Audis I reckon the best wet/dry tyre is a continental sport contact. my A6 was almost as quick in the wet as in the dry.. got ****loads of convidence in them..

Ive been selling some tyres named accelera  now for about 9 months.. they are exactly the same to look at as the conti sport contacts they  grip like fook wet or dry and seem to last well ..but dont have the continental stamped on the side and talk about value for money for 225/40 / 18s   buying a pallet of them works out around £60  a tyre for them ..    

[Buzz Billsberry]

They give a bl**** harsh ride compared to a normal tyre. Change them for some proper tyres.

Morning Chaps I'm a Regional Manager for one of the big 4 Tyre manufactures.

1st things first:

DO NOT SWAP RUNFLATS FOR STANDARD ROAD TYRES. This will invalidate your warranty & insurance the cars that run RFT's have their suspension specifically designed & set up for RFTs.

The thing when buying a new car with RFTs is that the salesman will always flog to death the safety of the RTF but never tell you that they can not be repaired its a case of 'caveat emptor'.

The reason for the inferior ride to the standard tyre is down to the cruntstruction & materials used in the tyre which enable the side wall to support the cars weight + thats why there is also limit on the the speed and the mileage as well. The one thing you get when you take it to a garage is a bill for a new tyre.

Remember its still early days for the RFTs and there's plenty of development yet. The manufacturers & tyre cos are working closely to improve all aspects of the black round things which are one of the most important things on your vehicle

Buzz

Buzz

[matthew h]

My old chap has got a new 530d and hates the run flats - but after a puncture & the ability to do 80 miles at 50 mph to get to his tyre depot - he is starting to get over the hate!

Buzz PM me who you work for!

[Matt Seabrook]

DO NOT SWAP RUNFLATS FOR STANDARD ROAD TYRES. This will invalidate your warranty & insurance the cars that run RFT's have their suspension specifically designed & set up for RFTs.

Right just to clear things up.

1. Insurance. I thought rightly or wrongly that this being a forum for car nuts that changes to vehicle spec would have been obvious that you would need to inform your insurers. This was an over sight of mine as all and sundry could view this site and I should have made it clearer

2. The BMW TMS may have to be deactivated when non run flat tyres are fitted. Contact BMW re this sort of work to find out if it can be done for you.

3. The tyres will be able to be fitted to the rims OK as they are a 2H rim which will support the non run flat tyre in the normal way.

4. Although the suspension is optimised for run flat tyres I cant see why non run flat tyres would make the handling impaired .

5. Missing a spare may be a problem as puncture repair in a can is not always a fix for a flat.

6. Just to make sure of what I stated earlier is correct I have check with a tech help line to the tyre trade and manufactures (Entyrety) they have said yes it is possible to retrofit non run flats but check with you dealer for the tyre monitoring systems. The last thing I want to do is give someone bad advice.

Hope this helps to clear things up.

P.s. Do not mix them though

[Guest]

Some good info on here, thanks.

I have a MINI with the dreaded runflats and all the issues set out above.  I was thinking of getting a new wheel & tyre set for the car as I thought that the runflats were a dealer, rathere than a factory, option.

QUOTE

the cars that run RFT's have their suspension specifically designed & set up for RFTs.

Buzz indicates this is not the case - they are a factory fit.  However, presumably I could have the suspension reset to the non runflat settings??

[pistonbroke]

A case for using runflats here

changing can be dangerous  

clicky

[Matt Seabrook]

[Buzz Billsberry]

Classic

buzz

[samcooke]

QUOTE

This will invalidate your warranty

Interestingly, my dealer initially said not, but then thought they'd better check with BMW, who said it did.

Not sure how they can justify that, but really CBA to argue the toss so I'll stick to runflats.

[JeffC]

the sensors that monitor the pressure on Bmws sense it through sensors on the car and not on the wheels or tyres, same as traction control. they work the same with normal tyres  and can sense the difference in drag of a 2 psi drop

Rims are the same I swapped over and drove a year and 15,000 miles with no spare at all.. only had one puncture in 20 years of driving (temps fate         ) I changed to 19" rims and when I sold the car 4 the new owner I  got a 16" spare from an old 5 series but  had to deflate it to fit it in the spare wheel well    so bought a £5 tyre inflater  

rolling diameter was there abouts and I would have fitted it to the front If I ever got a puncture...   job sorted

[samcooke]

FWIW, for reasons of warranty I went for Bridgestone Potenza RE050 runflats, now had them on 300 miles.

Ride is much better than on the Pirellis but the turn in is less sharp and they don't seem to grip as well.

A better compromise though.